Don't get me wrong, I love my SW200. My friends and I have done a ton of welding with it (it's sort of turned into our "community TIG") and it's done everything we've asked of. At its original price of $1700, the SW200 offered tremendous performance/value per dollar, especially being a "red" machine backed by Lincoln support, service and reliability. It was a no-brainer to purchase it.
However, I can't deny that it's a fairly basic machine. At the $2400 price point, you're really getting into the territory of some more interesting and more exotic machines that I think are worth looking into.
At $2400, you can get an:
- HTP Invertig 221 that offers way more settings/customization, more amps, and more duty cycle. It's not like HTP is some no-name Chinese-built machine either. They're built by a reputable Italian company.
- ESAB ET 186i AC/DC. Similar currents/duty cycle to the SW200, but like the HTP has way more configurability and options.